Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> About Gardening

DeKalb County Compost: Safe for Vegetable Gardens

DeKalb County composts 214,000 cubic yards of landscape debris annually—no human waste. Sewage sludge is handled separately under strict state regulations. The compost is safe for vegetable gardens.

Program Details

100,000+ tons landscape debris collected yearly.
Compost distributed free at public sites.
409,000 cubic yards shredded for mulch.

Use with confidence; the “human waste” rumor is false.

About Gardening: Why Compost Alone Isn't Enough for a Healthy Lawn: Nitrogen Needs and Disease Risks; Spring Compost Application: Side-Dress, Don't Smother; What Can and Cannot Go in a Compost Pile from the Vegetable Garden; Fire Ants in Compost: Turn the Pile, They'll Leave; How to Safely Apply Compost to Your Hosta Bed; DeKalb County Chicken Ordinance: Current Rules and Pending Changes; Illegal Tree Removal in DeKalb County: Know the Rules; Can You Grow Plants in Pure County Compost? Yes, with Extra Nitrogen; Free Horse Manure in DeKalb County; DeKalb County Free Compost Sites

Garden Articles

Choosing a Composter: Bins, Tumblers, or DIY Wire Cage

How to Make Compost Tea

Tea Camellia in Georgia: Possible but Historically Unlikely

Why Amended Clay Soil Reverts Over Time and How to Maintain It Without Tilling

Free Manure for Your Garden? Zoo Manure Isn't an Option, But Aged Horse Manure Works

Ants in Compost: Keep It Moist, Turn It, They'll Leave

Compost Tumblers: Low Yield, High Effort

Plants

Using Grass Clippings as Mulch and Soil Builder

White "Roots" in Compost Are Beneficial Fungal Hyphae

Squash Volunteer in Compost Pile

Composting 101: Turning a "Garbage Pile" into Black Gold

Finding Free Compost and Manure in Atlanta: Options and Precautions

Incorporating Compost into Vegetable Beds: Till Before or After?

Tree Roots Invading Your Compost Pile? Here's the Simple Fix